Interior of a tailor's shop: 1767-1800

Full image caption

This image of a tailor's shop by an anonymous painter was painted in the late eighteenth century. The positioning and activity of the figures is relaxed and serves to show the activities of the tailors. The image depicts an urban tailor's shop. Although it is not beyond doubt that it is London, it looks no different to what the scene would like in the metropolis. Threading a needle, drinking and sowing are shown in a very rare visual insight into life in a late eighteenth century tailor's shop. Journeymen and apprentices are shown working together cross-legged on the work bench. The large window behind the figures indicates the importance of a strong light source and its location on an upper floor. This is a graphic illustration of working life in this period.